{"id":2025074,"date":"2026-07-03T09:17:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2025074"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:17:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:17:43","slug":"sony-has-already-started-repurposing-its-lone-playstation-disc-factory-and-the-body-of-physical-gaming-isnt-even-cold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2025074","title":{"rendered":"Sony has already started repurposing its lone PlayStation disc factory, and the body of physical gaming isn&#8217;t even cold"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Sony has already started repurposing its lone PlayStation disc factory, and the body of physical gaming isn&#8217;t even cold<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Factori- Oh No.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/sad-kratos.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"sad-kratos.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-03T09:17:43+00:00\">July 3, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-playstation-disc-factory-repurposed?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          24 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The last remaining factory where Sony makes its physical discs is already being repurposed, just days after the company announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-ending-playstation-discs-physical-media-january-2028\">it was ceasing physical game production<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/salzburg.orf.at\/stories\/3360879\/\">According to OLF Salsburg<\/a>, a national Austrian outlet, the 300-odd employees at Sony&#8217;s Thalgau production plant will all keep their jobs in the wake of this news (which is good). They will all be retrained to create microlens rather than physical discs (which is sad). Optical microlenses, for what it&#8217;s worth, are key components used in managing power consumption and bandwidth bottlenecks, and are used in headsets and other devices that require precise light control. So you can see why an electronics giant like Sony will need them across its business.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kWSIFh8ICaA?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/kWSIFh8ICaA\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>This is how you share your games on PS4.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The plant produces 600,000 discs per-year, though according to OLF Salsburg this figure is expected to decrease significantly as Sony moves away from physical disc production.  Dietmar Tanzer, the CEO of Sony DADC, the Sony company that makes the discs, provided the outlet with more insight. He claims with this shift by Sony, the factory&#8217;s upcoming orders are a mere 10 percent of what they usually are, which makes the re-training a no-brainer.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sony has been planning this end to disc manufacturing for some time. According to company management who spoke to OLF Salsburg, \u20ac30m was invested into new technology to create microlenses, which will become a &#8220;new business area&#8221; according to Sony DADC head Markus Streibl.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/games\/961203\/sony-austria-thalgau-end-disc-production-microlenses-instead\">As The Verge points out<\/a>, this factory in Thalgau appears to be the last remaining disc manufacturing plant for Sony. It had been producing them in the USA previously, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcphiladelphia.com\/news\/local\/nj-sony-plant-closing-after-more-than-50-years\/2142981\/\">but the New Jersey plant was shuttered in 2011<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As such, the ball is already rolling for a true death for physical gaming on PlayStation while the body isn&#8217;t even cold. With this factory being repurposed, there will no longer be any producer of PlayStation discs present around the world. Since Sony is the only company able to create these discs, it&#8217;s not as though another company can pick up the mantle.<\/p>\n<p>So it&#8217;s another piece of tragic news in a week stuffed full of it. Sony also announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ps3-vita-stores-end-support-sony\">end of support for its PS3 and PS Vita stores<\/a>, a double whammy of gut punches.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The last remaining factory where Sony makes its physical discs is already being repurposed, just days after the company announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/sony-ending-playstation-discs-physical-media-january-2028\">it was ceasing physical game production<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/salzburg.orf.at\/stories\/3360879\/\">According to OLF Salsburg<\/a>, a national Austrian outlet, the 300-odd employees at Sony&#8217;s Thalgau production plant will all keep their jobs in the wake of this news (which is good). They will all be retrained to create microlens rather than physical discs (which is sad). Optical microlenses, for what it&#8217;s worth, are key components used in managing power consumption and bandwidth bottlenecks, and are used in headsets and other devices that require precise light control. So you can see why an electronics giant like Sony will need them across its business.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kWSIFh8ICaA?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/kWSIFh8ICaA\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>This is how you share your games on PS4.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The plant produces 600,000 discs per-year, though according to OLF Salsburg this figure is expected to decrease significantly as Sony moves away from physical disc production.  Dietmar Tanzer, the CEO of Sony DADC, the Sony company that makes the discs, provided the outlet with more insight. He claims with this shift by Sony, the factory&#8217;s upcoming orders are a mere 10 percent of what they usually are, which makes the re-training a no-brainer.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sony has been planning this end to disc manufacturing for some time. According to company management who spoke to OLF Salsburg, \u20ac30m was invested into new technology to create microlenses, which will become a &#8220;new business area&#8221; according to Sony DADC head Markus Streibl.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/games\/961203\/sony-austria-thalgau-end-disc-production-microlenses-instead\">As The Verge points out<\/a>, this factory in Thalgau appears to be the last remaining disc manufacturing plant for Sony. It had been producing them in the USA previously, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcphiladelphia.com\/news\/local\/nj-sony-plant-closing-after-more-than-50-years\/2142981\/\">but the New Jersey plant was shuttered in 2011<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As such, the ball is already rolling for a true death for physical gaming on PlayStation while the body isn&#8217;t even cold. With this factory being repurposed, there will no longer be any producer of PlayStation discs present around the world. Since Sony is the only company able to create these discs, it&#8217;s not as though another company can pick up the mantle.<\/p>\n<p>So it&#8217;s another piece of tragic news in a week stuffed full of it. Sony also announced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ps3-vita-stores-end-support-sony\">end of support for its PS3 and PS Vita stores<\/a>, a double whammy of gut punches.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Sony has already started repurposing its lone PlayStation disc factory, and the body of physical gaming isn&#8217;t even cold Factori- Oh No. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on July 3, 2026 24 comments The last remaining factory where Sony makes its physical discs is already being repurposed, just days after the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2025074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2025074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2025074\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2025074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2025074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2025074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}